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In 2005 Memphis black-wave synth punk band Lost Sounds called it quits after being kicked out of a house in Stuttgart in the middle of a long long night. With that, four albums and numerous singles and outtakes releases were leftover, and the brutal live show would never happen again. As Jay Reatard (½ of the Lost Sounds songwriting team with Alicja Trout) continued to grow his hopeful career on Matador Records the other band members moved on down less-publicised roads.

Rich Crook, drummer of Lost Sounds, formed Lover! and THING and toured as singer/guitar player. Alicja toured with River City Tanlines, Black Sunday, Mouserocket, and released solo recordings as Alicja-pop. Meanwhile time was healing the wounds that had caused the band break-up.

Sadly Jay’s light died in January 2010.

So what was to become of the 100+ Lost Sounds song catalog?

Alicja, Rich, and original member John Garland have brought back a set of tunes from the old Lost Sounds closet. Along with Johnny Valiant on bass they are called Sweet Knives, named after a song from the Lost Sounds 2004 In The Red “Future Touch” seven song EP. In January 2016 the group recorded a four song double 7” for Red Lounge Records. And this winter an all new album has been recorded for Bigneck Records and should be released in summer 2017.

Lost Sounds was known for a sound filled with angst, paranoia, and anxiety all rolled up in a synth laden rock n roll tasty burrito. Sweet Knives carries on the quest with a new delivery, less likely to fall apart and fall off stage, and more likely to infect a room with a symphony of sharpened blades.

When the Carbonas died, Atlanta wept. Mothers and children, left orphaned by the deceased, wandered the streets with tears streaming mottled faces. Strong and silent men struggled to maintain composure, and they retreated to basement workbenches, biting lips, cracking knuckles, running hands through thinning hair, sullenly wondering: "Why?" Skies darkened. A palpable feeling of devastating loss plagued the city. Nay, the world.

Thankfully, ex-frontman Greg "GG" King wasted little time in yanking up his knickers and pursuing new noise. He wrote a series of tunes not unlike those he contributed to the Carbonas â€“ that winning mix of hyperstrummed '70s Europunk and brawny stateside r'n'r pummel intact â€“ and amassed a crew of friends and former bandmates to help him flesh out the din. He released a handful of solid teaser singles, played a number of good shows. He reasserted himself as one of Atlanta's greatest exports.

And now, with the release of Esoteric Lore, his first full-length longplayer, the venerable GG King moves beyond his old guard, skindiving in new sinkholes.

Yes, herein we find some highly Carbonic moments â€“ traces of Hubble Bubble, The Kids, Zero Boys, et. al. â€“ but we also hear the King & Co. vamp on vibes harnessed only previously by goth-punk forebears: early Christian Death, 45 Grave. We sense smudged traces of minimal mania a la 100 Flowers. We catch whiffs of the emblematic hardcore of the Germs & T.S.O.L., feel the plod 'n' thud of Negative Trend. We're treated to bits of hijacked shortwave, aural static clinging 'tween songs proper, bleeding into the tunes themselves. And we hear a walloping wayward punk rec that nods knowingly toward L.A.-circa-'82, but in melding its influences, somehow sounds distinctly Atlanta, and right now.

Named best new band of the year by Stomp and Stammer magazine, Black Cat Rising has come out of their corner of the ring swinging. Formed by Atlanta based frontman Cullen Curtis (Think Never), this four piece consists of Albert Omsted on second guitar (from Augusta's Eat Lightning), Lilly Huey on bass (formerly of Baltimore's Heavenly Blues), and finally Bruce Keller (from The Thin White Dukes). Being only one year old S&S also goes on to say..."Tracks like high octane garage stomper "Space Jams" and the serene "The Ties that Bind" are among the best to come out of Atlanta the past half-year or so."

The group having press and momentum on their side channels the likes of Sonic Youth, Drive Like Jehu, and The Pixies. However, Cullen Curtis' guitar work also conjures up elements of Hendricks and Peter Green on guitar.
It should also be noted that Albert brings a My Bloody Valentine wall of sound and the lovely Lilly a dark Joy Division whisper. Holding all of these elements together are the ferocious post punk drums of Bruce Keller. These Cat's will not disappoint with a sonic fire that burns deep.